


Hiding ages

by Callmyname



Series: Fix-it Pro [5]
Category: Tenet (2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dreams and Nightmares, Explicit Sexual Content, Grief/Mourning, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Post-Canon Fix-It, bad language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:01:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27920419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Callmyname/pseuds/Callmyname
Summary: Neil and the Protagonist discuss hair aging, massage oils and flirt outrageously.Messed-up porn with nightmares.followed by one young man United with his old love (needs work). Complete  fix-it through flash-back.  Referencing "Art Gallery" by implication. Working on "future in the past" because it all feels at least approximately on the same timeline.
Relationships: Kat & Neil (Tenet), Kat & The Protagonist, Neil & The Protagonist (Tenet), Neil/The Protagonist (Tenet)
Series: Fix-it Pro [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2046386
Kudos: 8





	1. Self-care

**Author's Note:**

> I am trying to work this out myself, so I thought it makes sense to get them to talk about it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neil + the Protagonist relax together.

So, you say we need to fool people with our ages? I got it wrong did I? Teach me, Master Neil, I bow before your knowledge. Teach me. 

Neil giggles. " Stop badly quoting Star Wars at me. "

"Come on Neil, I have seen you do it. That five o'clock shadow that looked so cute on you, Mr _No you don't?_ It covers mask spots, and it also made you look older. As well as being half-cut, disollute and utterly irresistible. Blended you in perfectly hanging out in such a place. " he sighs fondly in reminiscence, and continues. "But it also covers the sorts of skin blemishes and scars that you pick up on as you get older." 

"Yeah" , says Neil, and ran a finger thoughtfully across his own huge scar-line. "This is going to be a huge give-away. I can't see how I am going to do time pincer work with younger you again."  
"But hey, grey beard." He fondles Pro's beard affectionately, tugging at the greying strands. " It's a big give-away. Not that I mind: I think it looks really good on you. But seriously, when I saw you in hospital, I knew you were years later than the previous day's visitor." 

"God, I did not know you remembered that. 

" Yeah, the memories are more than a bit odd. It's like they come in flashes, mixed up with images that felt like they were nightmares, as they were confusing. but I was aware back then"  


Neil rolls over and shows Pro a tube. " look it's something that Wheeler showed me - its aimed at camouflage, but a little of that rubbed in will go a long way. 

He flopped back onto the bed.

Pro looks at him relaxed across the bed, and ran a finger through Neil's hair. If Neil was a cat, he would be purring from the attention. "and how do you get that lovely set of locks to look so naturally sun faded, floppy and loose? My hair is a knot of tangles. 

"Dunno if this would work for you. It's a quite different sort of hair. But I rub lemon juice, rosmary, sage and olive oil into it, wrap a towel round it and leave it be overnight. It fades and bleaches it slightly. My hair is naturally so, so floppy, and the oils mess up cameras as it glistens. Also it's good for you: gets dirt out of the scalp and stimulates the brain. Plus I swill it round the mouth to clean the teeth. Mask breathe. Another problem, eh? 

it's a great massage oil as well. The physiotherapist at the hospital swore it has therapeutic effects on the brain and nerve regeneration. God though, that used to hurt, what they put me through. 

"Come here, let me show you - rub that into your skin and see how that makes a shine. Also, that tiny tinge of grey round there. It's another clue. The sage will gently and naturally colour that. " " And of course, I love my scarf collection. I managed to smuggle a few of them retrograde so that I could have them correctly aged. Plus Kat showed me this fantastic way of doing the opposite, in preserving fabrics against moths". "But they are practical as well. They cover the neck skin. A huge give-away as to your actual age. Also, the more you protect your neck, the less sun damage. 

Pro ran his hand over Neil's neck, and pulled him closer. "Your skin is so soft. And that is where you get that subtle fragrance from!? " He pressed a kiss into the side. "You are such a girl.  
Neil fluttered his eyelashes up at him and preened.

"oils do have other uses too, you know. 

" Really?" Pro raised his eyebrows. "Again? I am not a young man anymore."

He turned and pressed a kiss onto Pro's hand, and gently rubbed his cheek against him.

"uhh, that too. But no, was thinking about the problem you are having with your skin around here." He ran his fingers lightly over the protagonist's face. There was an odd pattern of skin marks. "That is from the face mask dear. weird sunburn and dirt patterns? I found the oil was great at removing skin blemishes quite naturally and painlessly. Stuff we can do retrograde without seeing a skin specialist. "

"The first time I ever saw you? Surely in the Opera siege." 

"And the last time I saw you - the same day. That totally bowls me over, just thinking about it. How many years apart from you was that? "

"Shhh. It's alright now, thanks to you."


	2. Loss.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> NSFW. Oops that's the porn post. Now with extra,hopefully better , language. Plus a bit of re-editing of punctuation. Beta would be really useful. 
> 
> Angry at Destiny taking Neil away from him. OOC elements.

Sometimes there is nothing he could do. 

It's 2am, and the aching loss just hurt so much. It wasn't the lack of sex - though God, he is not ashamed to admit that was part of it. The desire that left him tied up in knots, where he is both mourning and lusting after Neil. Where his dreams are a meld of horrific images - his reanimated backwards corpse - time flowing in reverse polarity jerks into life - and images of Neil in his magnificent, startlingly intense vibrant beauty. 

It is also an exquisite nightmare where cold lips brush against his neck. Where Neil returns as some zombie. The whole maelstrom of shooting bullets, exploding rockets and buildings collapsing/reassembling - rush through his fevered brain - and Neil's laugh becomes something far more sinister, louder and louder until he begs him to stop.

He dreams of passion consumed by anger. Rages and demands. Neil cursing him for not leaving Sator to die whilst he had the chance. Him pinning Neil by the neck, crushing his lips against him . Opening his fly, pulling Neil's hand to where he wanted it. Feeling those leather gloves he wore, tightening around him. God, Niel - bold enough to perform a sex act within a room where all it needed was one glance up from the others. All he needed to do was show willing. ...  


He wakes to a rumpled, sweat strewn bed chamber, and a shamefully raging erection. Takes himself in hand and tries to think of Neil as he wanted him. His gorgeous lovely scarf wrapped around him, hair blowing in the wind, his voice recounting the ways that they would ; they could; they did: love each other. As they wended their different pathways through time, creating that tapestry of fate. Neil a bright blue, him a darker red colour. Their crossings - perhaps leaving a diamond crushed out of the bitter burnt fragments of his soul. Or maybe a splinter of his heart, worn smooth by the passage of time. 

Holes burnt across multiple possible outcomes by their passion flaring up in the darkness. If that was possible, he might yet dream, and wake to find Neil lying quietly along aside him. Maybe sharing his memories of what had happened, or blithely oblivious to the possibilities he narrowly avoided. Just one slip of his foot at the right second is all it would take Or a jammed gun, a ricochet or a slight change in timings. If only. 

He imagines Neil, one vodka tonic too many falling against him. His hand slipping between his thighs, undoing his buttons, taking him out and enveloping him. His pulse races, and he feels Neil tightening his hand around the base of his cock, pressing and releasing in tandem to his mouth. He feels his balls tightening, and Neil takes hold for one last tug. He cries out, pouring out and out in an endless release.

Sigh. If only they had done that, not carefully respected each other too much for too long, when actually the moment he clapped eyes on him, he just wanted and wanted. 

Because seriously? This gorgeous disheveled mess of a man who looked right into his soul. Lying on that camp bed, aware that he was desperately hard, unable to do anything about it. Just wanting him so, so badly. 

Yeah. And Neil grabbing his arm because it was suddenly bleeding, the intimacy of his touch. So many times Neil just gave him this look, that said: I want you every bit as badly as you want me. It could have been ours, my friend. I love you with the same raging, overwhelming, desperate intensity. I wake stifling your name on my lips . I dream of you just as much as you dream of me. My love, my love. 

Till he went to his death, and there was nothing they could do to stop him. Because Neil was right, only he could have unlocked that gate. 

Yes, he felt better for the sexual relief from what he had done earlier. Fantasizing about Neil till his balls ached and his back dripped sweat. But then afterwards, it was worse. 

But it's the lack of someone to talk to. Neil's smile. Gone forever. The crazy plans that just worked out. Someone to give him a proper reason to live. 

Someone who was gone, sealed beyond destiny' s door.

FUCK FUCK FUCK.

There must be some bloody way of fixing this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't ask. Just got really cross at things, no idea if that was any good.


	3. Re-United

"Let me try this" Neil says.

"It's been a long time for me, Neil. I'm sorry. It took me too long to find a way of saving you - us. I just cant manage it. " 

His beautiful sorrowful brown eyes met Neil's - they were filled with unshed tears.

\- don't be silly, Neil says. It's you I want. It was always you. I don't care if you are old and grey. Nor that you don't have the stamina and strength of your youth. I am sure the same hero's heart beats in there.

He pressed his hand to the protagonist's chest. He was right. Pro felt his heart flutter. His breathe came easier. His beautiful Lien was here after all these years, and refusing him: no, if he still wanted him.


	4. Fix it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pro fixes it ideas.
> 
> Bit unedited - mostly just brain preservation chit-chat so a bit incomplete. But workable.

-Cat, you say you got the body off the ship by dragging it through slippery sun lotion? You spilt it on the ground, and gave him a massage? Double the application. 

. - "plus you killed him - I killed Pria . That's divergence of the timelines, surely. 

-:arghh. My brain aches. I wish I had more sleep. 

\- Not as much as Neil's brain is going to hurt before we are done.

\- Can we get some of that lotion Neil uses on his hair spilt on the ground round the gate, so that Neil slips? At the critical moment!?

\- Ye..es maybe. It's just oil and a few bits. He must carry the lotion in his backpack? But the issue is how to get your lubricant to the right place and time.

\- sure this is the answer though. 

. - So, you say the reasons for the nightmares are alternative time-lines crossing over the reality barrier?

\- Yes. And that it seems your dreaming self is talking to Neil about the solution you so desperately yearn for. Uh oh, get him to spill it all down himself ready to be taken. Like the hot and bothered version of himself you were dreaming of. You only want him to slip enough to be shot and able to survive it. One where his brain is injured not splattered all over his helmet. A version of Neil we can get to hospital retrograde and alive . 

\- Maybe also on and in the helmet so that slips slightly. Double jeopardy double mischief

FUCK FUCK FUCK.

Pro starts shouting loudly and hitting the pillow in excitement.

The others look at him like he has gone mad.

"Remember me saying how Neil in my nightmare was like a frozen zombie!? And how Sator gave me frost bite with the retrograde explosion!? If we can do the same to the inside of Neil's helmet, his brain will be held in a bucket of ice. More generally , the spill down the front will burn. So his heart, lungs and other vital organs will also be cooled down where the fire is. That will help him survive the trauma whilst we get him to hospital. "

"So, we light him up and turn him into a popsicle? That would work. If you can slow the heartbeat and the metabolic rate, cool the brain downy? That will very significantly reduce inflammation and initial damage. It will reduce blood loss. Yeah, great. The initial flame will create a cauterisation effect. Or will it - retrograde? 

\- You want it on the outside of the helmet, surely, though?  
-freeze the damn lot, but remember ice expands.   
\- Think. I can see we are going to be heading into to the future for some experimentation. We don't want to get it wrong.


	5. Corpsicle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Discussion over the frozen body of Neil, post-canon.

" So, we have accidentally frozen him too much?" 

-" Yup. He's frozen solid. If we take him to hospital, they will just wheel him straight down to the morgue " 

/++++++/

" Ah hah ha", Neil cannot stop. The more that Pro glares at him, the harder he laughs. Tears are now running down Neil's face. The protagonist is not handling it at all well. Uh oh ,a nd he is crying too." Oh fuck' he gasps. 

" what the fuck are you laughing about, you lunatic." Snaps Pro. 

Neil giggles, and finally manages to draw a breath. Yeah, he is definitely crying now. _"It's probably an adrenaline over-reaction"_ he thinks to himself.

Wheeler exchanged glances with the med-evac team. She is not quite sure who it was that had brought Neil-the-corpsicle in. Whatever happened, she has never seen either Neil nor the Protagonist acting so erratically. 

She muses to herself _This is definitely a hysterical reaction, which is rather unsurprising. what idiot thought it would be okay to drag young Neil into the discussion of what to do with his own body!? Actually, it does not look like Pro is exactly handling it all very well either._

_Oh yes - someone who thought he would be able to cope with it all. Looking at his almost dead lover. And the young version cracking up over it all. What a time-tangled mess._

""That's your future body over there. "< /p>

"Pro , actually that is not such a bad idea. " , Wheeler interjects. "Morgue sounds a good call" .

Pro looks aghast at the suggestion.  


-"Seriously, we need to keep him cool.  
-We all need to keep our cool. -what we need to do is get the records lost, so that he is held as a John Doe. .IT'S okay really, it's okay. But this is not game over, no replay." 

The med-evac officer comes over and shows Wheeler his clip-board. "Its already sorted. Looks like posterity is in on this loop. All we need to do is get him down there. "

" Look, it's like this: if we let him defrost now, he won't come back alive. But apparently it's fixable in your lifetime. Now, you have to decide if you want to go the long way round, or if you want to join him in the freezer" .

Wheeler gives Pro the clip-board. "See? They fixed it for you. Just have to wait it out. "

"/++++++/

_And that is actually a real game-changer for what we can manage. If we can get the technology for freezing and unfreezing sorted out - we can have suspended animation - then that makes us able to travel a lot further - and for that matter bring people back from the past" ._

__

__

" oh Look, I knew it: it's your obsession with Leonardo. The pair of you are crazy about him" Wheeler shakes her head. "Okay, where to, Einstein? 

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After editing, this does fit, but needs a complete rewrite later. Hang on whilst I fight with two thumb typing.

**Author's Note:**

> Fix-it idea jumped my sleep deprived brain. My Mum is in hospital, and I pulled an all-nighter through stress and worry.


End file.
